Suzette Grillot

Host of World Views

Dean of the College of International Studies at the University of Oklahoma, Dr. Suzette Grillot hosts this locally-produced show on KGOU. Dean Grillot previously served as the College’s Associate Dean from July 2008-June 2012 and was essential to its creation and development. Additionally, she serves as the William J. Crowe, Jr. Chair in Geopolitics and the Vice Provost of International Programs. She has been recognized with the Gary B. Cohen Distinguished Faculty Award, was named the Educator’s Leadership Academy Outstanding Professor, and was recipient of the OU President’s Distinguished Faculty Mentor Award.

Dean Grillot is a prolific author, with articles published in the British Journal of Political Science, International Politics, and Contemporary Security Policy, among many others. She recently co-edited the book, Understanding the Global Community and co-authored the books Protecting Our Ports: National and International Security of Containerized Freight (2010) and The International Arms Trade (2009).

Trained in international relations, security studies and comparative politics, Dean Grillot teaches several dynamic courses each semester, focusing on subjects such as Global Security, International Activism, Illicit Trafficking, and International Politics, Literature and Film. Dean Grillot’s curiosity about the world and its people has led her to spend a semester teaching in Macedonia as a Fulbright Scholar (2003) and a semester as a teaching fellow at Beijing University in China (2007).

Suzette Grillot speaks to Rebecca Cruise about the ongoing civil unrest in Venezuela. They also discuss U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson's explanation of the Trump administration's "America first" foreign policy.

Then, Rebecca speaks with scholar Reinhard Heinisch about the rise of populism in Austria and the rest of Europe.

Interactions between humans and the environment is a two-way street. Human actions change the environment, and changes to the environment affect human behavior.

David Lopez-Carr, a geographer a the University of California-Santa Barbara, calls it “human environment dynamics.” He studies how climate change impacts food security, crop production and human health, particularly infant mortality.

“Babies and infants are the hardest hit when there is when there are food shortages,” Lopez-Carr told KGOU’s World Views.

Like many young Afghans, Ambassador Hamdullah Mohib has lived in a country that has been at war most of his life. Born in 1983, Ambassador Mohib stressed that he and Afghanistan's young population as a whole have benefited from the relative stability brought to the country by the arrival of U.S. troops in 2001. But this stability only came after Afghanistan lurched from monarchy to communism to anarchy and then to extremism and finally to democracy over the decades.

More people want to pursue higher education now in the United States, and more students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds want to go to college or university. Even though a desire to achieve higher education is greater, it has also created enormous problems, according to Temple University education and sociology professor Sara Goldrick-Rab.

Suzette Grillot and Rebecca Cruise talk about the attack in London, the ban of electronic devices on flights from several countries in the Middle East and North Africa, and the impeachment of South Korea's president.

Suzette Grillot and Rebecca Cruise discuss the outcomes of the Dutch elections, and a food poisoning case that has sickened thousands of children in Egypt.

Then, Rebecca interviews historian Rochelle Ruthchild about the women’s movement in Russia and the Soviet Union. Ruthchild wrote the book Equality and Revolution: Women’s Rights in the Russian Empire, 1905-1917. She’s also a member of The 888 Women’s History Project, which recently produced the documentary film Left On Pearl about the 1971 International Women’s Day March in Boston.

Suzette Grillot and Rebecca Cruise talk about International Women's Day and protests that occurred around the world, Nike's new advertisement featuring athletic wear for Muslim women, and the second version of President Trump's travel ban.

Then, Suzette talks with filmmaker Luis Argueta about his documentary films about the immigration raid in Postville, Iowa.

During the 20th century, countries in the Middle East developed strong, nationalist states that created a homogenous model for their societies. Lebanon, however, did not follow suit. As Middle East expert Nadim Shehadi likes to say, Lebanon skipped the 20th century altogether.

Then, Suzette interviews Orville Schell about China's relationship with the world. Schell is an award-winning journalist and former dean of the Graduate School of Journalism at University of California-Berkeley.

Urbanization is rapidly expanding on a global scale, and it is creating a demand for reorganization of cities and spaces. Urban and regional planners, like John Harris, weigh the different needs of societies to ensure the city suits the people who live in it. Harris focuses on sustainable urbanization, especially in Africa where he has dealt with informal settlements.